The section of the Reclamation Site in Kingstown known as Chinatown is expected to get a major facelift as part of a deal the government has signed with Canadian investors.
The agreement relates primarily to the construction of a tourism development in the Mt Wynne-Peter’s Hope area.
The agreement was signed just around Carnival, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves said, adding that a few things are to be done within a month.
“It’s a huge investment. The developers, on whom we have done the appropriate due diligence, they will be doing hotel development and also villas. They are doing a golf course with clubhouse.
“The Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines will retain ownership of the golf course and the club house facilities, but also the management for the hotel, the enterprise will manage it,” Gonsalves said.
“The developers also, as part of the consideration, they have agreed to do a creative arts centre and convention centre right here near to this Financial Complex and a boardwalk and shops, where you have Chinatown, as it is called. We need to do an improvement there. We have a broad plan, which we want to do also for Little Tokyo.”
The Kingstown Bus Terminal, also known as Little Tokyo, which was constructed more than 20 years ago, has been in a state of disrepair.
“All that is part of the fourth term work. We are putting everything in place. Imagine a magnificent boardwalk in front of the city and we give them an option as to whether they will want to build a 40-50 room hotel nearby here in the city,” Gonsalves said.
He said these investments will only come about because the Argyle International Airport is nearing completion.
The airport has missed several completion dates since 2011 and the government says it will be complete by the end of this year.
Why am I not surprised that this is coming just as elections are about to be called? This comes straight out of the standard political playbook. In fact if I recall correctly I did state since last year that just before elections that we would be hearing some bogus announcement about developments at the New City at Arnos Vale. Well they decided instead to make some announcement about Mt. Wynne and Little Tokyo instead lol.
Can they at least do us the courtesy of providing the names of these Canadian investors so that the 4th estate and others can conduct their own due diligence? I see no reason for this info to be confidential.
The names of the “investors”must be kept secret because revealing their names will immediately show that (1) they have no experience in building or running hotels, resorts, or other hospitality ventures; (2) they are people will no means to bring $US 200 million to fund such a project, the amount the PM referenced in the 2015 budget address; (3) he would have to reveal that his government is either lending the “investors” the money for the project or guaranteeing their loan of these funds; and (4) this project consists of nothing more than a non-binding “memorandum of understanding” which is simply a interest or intention to go forward with the project, given a number of conditions.
As you said, this is just a cheap political promise that has no hope of going forward if only because the Mt. Wynne/Peter’s Hope area has no potential for large-scale hotel/resort/golf course development. If this were not so, some well known hotel chain would have snapped up this land years ago, as they snapped up suitable beach front land elsewhere in the Caribbean years ago.
In particular, this land has been for sale since the 1960s when owned by Casson who eventually sold it to the government because there were no other buyers at a time when hotels and resorts were being constructed left, right, and centre all over the Caribbean.
What’s wrong with the Mt. Wynne/Peter’s Hope region? Three words: black sand beaches. Nothing more, nothing less.
Well if the government’s current track record with investors is anything to go by then I can understand why their identities are secret lol.
C-Ben,
What makes you think that Mt. Payne/Peter’s has no potential for development. Didn’t they say the same thing for Buccament.
Now C- Ben you stick your mouth in just about everything, you got to be the smartest man in St. Vincent.
Now here you are telling us that this land is no good, you are speaking as if you develop some hotel sites before,and you and I know that you don’t even have a pot to piss in, much less to talk about land development.
Your mission is talk and loose lips sink ships.
Spot on again David, I wrote a comment, hasn’t appeared yet?
Well it was a set of relevant questions with some comments.
See my reply below:
https://www.iwnsvg.com/2015/07/20/phony-airport-completion-election-promises-vincy-style/
So much for C. ben -David PROPAGANDA .
To those who perpetually complain about the lack of Hotels , let me reinforce the fact that it is asinine to suggest Developers & Hotel Chains would seek to build Hotels in St. Vincent when an International Airport does not exists . Doing that is akin to putting a Cart before the Horse .
let me hammer home the salient point which many would like the Vincentian People to forget . If the NDP , during its 17 years in the governance of SVG , had built an International
Airport on the mainland ; I have absolutely no doubt that there would not only be Hotels in
SVG ; BUT THE COST OF BUILDING AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WOULD HAVE
BEEN MUCH LESS THAN THE COST OF THE ARGYLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT .
Also SVG would have been more developed than it currently is . So now that the NDP blew their chances of building an International Airport , The NDP & its Supporters , are
complaining about lack of Hotels ; Poor development etc . Seemingly forgetting that they
were in office for 17 freaking years , did not build an International Airport , but are now carping , & being critical of the current Government .
THE QUESTION THAT MUST BE ASKED OF THE NDP IS THIS :
WHY DID IT NOT HAVE AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN ST. VINCENT IN THEIR
AGENDA ???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
MY IMPRESSION IS THAT THE FACT THAT THE NDP BLUNTLY REFUSED TO BUILD
AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT , SERIOUSLY DISQUALIFIES IT FROM BEING ONCE
AGAIN BE IN THE GOVERNANCE OF SVG . VINCENTIANS MUST
REMEMBER THAT THE MONEY THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT IS SPENDING TO
BUILD THE ARGYLE AIRPORT WOULD HAVE COST A LOT LESS IF THE NDP HAD
BUILT AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHEN IT WAS IN THE GOVERNANCE OF
ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES .
Now that the Airport is nearing completion , it is logical that Hotel Developers , & Hotel Chains will be interested in St. Vincent & the Grenadines . It is fair to state that because
during its 17 years in Office the NDP , wittingly or unwittingly STUNTED THE GROWTH OF
ST. VINCENT & THE GRENADINES . But the NDP & its Supporters will never admit to this fact . Instead they prefer to be very critical of the current Government , like a Drowning man
clutching at Straws .
Had the NDP built an International Airport when it was in Office , There would have been Hotels on the mainland to accommodate Tourists , Cricket Fans et al to see Test Matches
at Arnos Vale ; one of the loveliest Cricket Grounds in the World . History informs us that
THE NDP WAS IN OFFICE FOR 17 YERAS , AND NEVER EVER THOUGHT ABOUT
BUILDING AN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE MAINLAND .
PERHAPS THE WOMAN WHO WANTED A TSUNAMI TO DESTROY THE ARGYLE
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT APPARENTLY FORGOT THIS FACT .